Bottle wadding machine and method



' Dec. 3, 1946. T. c. KELLY I BOTTLE WADDING MACHINE AND METHOD FiledSept. 16, 1943 .5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 3, 1946. 'r. c. KELLY BOTTLEWADDING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed Sept. 16, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 T. C.KELLY BOTTLE WADDING MACHINE AND METHOD Dec. 3, 1946.

Filed Sept. 16, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet s Dec. 3, 1946.

'r. c. KELLY BOTTLE WADDING MACHINE Am) METHOD 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FiledSept, 16, 1945 Dec. 3, 1946. 'r. C. KELLY BOTTLE WADDING MACHINE ANDMETHOD Fileq se t. 16, 1943 5 SheetS-Sh eet 5 subsequent ejection intothe bottle.

Patented Dec. 3, 1946 BOTTLE WADDING MACHINE AND METHOD frames, o.Kelly, Hinsdale, 111. v 7 Application September 16, 1943, SerialN0.'5\'32,608

.17 Claims.

present invention is designed as an addition to the cotton weddingmachine shown and described in Patent No. 2,171,572, issued Septemher5., 1939, although the special featuresof the present invention arecapable of employment in other types of machines designed for asimilarpurpose. .The cotton Wadding machine of the patentaoove referred to isdesignedto feed forwarda continuous rope 10'! Strand of fibrousmaterial, preferably cotton, and to cut. therefrom charges of suitablelength for insertion into the mouth of a bottle or other container ofthe character commonly .employed for the retention of tablets, pills, orother :materials of a similar nature,.and wherein it isdesirable towadthe mouth of the bottle to .prevent rattling.or contamination of thecontents. A

The machine of the patent aforesaid has proven highly effective for usein the'wadding of bottles which are not abruptly'shouldered below theneckbut in cases where the bottle is thus shouldered, it has been founddesirable to modify the structure of the machine in such a way as tomake provision for the lateral distention of the wadding beneath theshoulders of the bottle in order to more firmlycompact'thefcontentswhere bottles of this character are employed, and the present inventionis designed as'an addition or attachment for the purpose of thusspreading the wedding under the conditions named. I

The method here involved consists broadly in the slitting cf the leadingend of a-cotton wad prior to its insertion into a bottle and in'guidingand to the action of a separator blade Within the tube which serves tomaintain the slitted ends of the cotton'charge in separaterelationduring the and directing the slitted end during the insertingoperation, so that divided legs or sections of the Wad will tend tospread laterally during the thrust which inserts the chargeinto-thebottle thereby causing the waddingsections t o spread beneaththe bottle shoulders and thus morecompletely fill the empty space abovethe contents of the bottle. 7 y

In the machine here illustrated, asan exemplification of the presentinvention,the' forward end of a continuous rope of cotton or the hire isfed downwardly by rollers and forced into the end of a-tube from whichthe charge is ultimately ejected into the bottle. During the 'in'feedingof the cotton into the tube, the forward end of the charge'is slitend-wise by a cutterand at the same time the upper end of the charge iscutfree from be wadded are fed inwardly through a'guide track thecontinuous rope thuscernple't'ingthe'insertion V of a charge intothetube in preparation" for its Thereafter, while the tube isin register:With the bottlemouth,

the charge issub'jec'ted to the'thru'stof a'plunger 'in any suitablemanner.

bottle charging operation. These operationsare all performed in a timedsequential series so that the bottles in processional relation will bebrought to the charging point at the proper time to register with theloaded'tube to receive the wad ejected therefrom. p i

Further objects and details will appear from a description of theinvention inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure1 is a perspective view of a mac-hin which, save for the specialfeatures of'the present invention, is substantially similar-to thatshown and described in full detail in-the patent :previously referredto;

Fig. 2 is'a sectional elevation of the tube carrier and the slittingmechanism and associated parts which constitute-the special subjectmatter of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail in plan showing the tube carrierand the slittingmechanism and the means for actuating the samey i Figs. 4, 5 and 6arese'ctional details illustrating three stages for the loading,:slitting and discharging of a cotton wad;

Fig. 7 is a detail of'the Geneva movement employed for intermittentlyadvancing the carrier for the tubes into which the wadding .charges arefirst loaded andfrom whichzare afterwards discharged; and

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional. detail of one of the tubes with theassociated slitting .cutter taken on line 8'8 of Fig. .4.

Save for the .specialieatures' presently to be described in full detail,the machinexin the'form shown'is substantially the same as that 'fullydescribed in the patent referred'to, so that it is not here deemednecessary to describe infull detail the entire train of operatingconnections where by'power is transmitted to the various operatingmechanisms. The machineas a whole comprises a base housing it supportedupon legs H and presenting its upper surface'in the form of 'a table top[2 which supports the externally located portions of the mechanism. Thebottlesto 13 which standsain'elev'ated relation above the upper tdrn ofendless conveyor belt lg-td'riven guide track I3 stands in adjacentrelationito.:-a

carrier disk l5 which isrotated? in fcounte'rclockrwise direction byany; suitable mechanism: .The

carrier disk isnprovided 1 in its Uperiphery' .with a The inner end iiofthe.

series of notches it which, in the present instance, are six in numberand equally spaced, and each of proper dimensions to receive a bottle ofthe size to be wadded. The bottles are fed inwardly on the inner side onFig. 1 and are released from the machine and carried onwardly afterwadding by a conveyor belt I! located in adjacent relation to guidetrack l8 similar, in all respects, to guide track [3.

The continuous strand of cotton C lies coiled within a container I9, andits leading end is carried through a guide arm and thence between upperfeed rolls 2| and 22 and lower feed rolls 23 and 24, similar in allrespects to those shown in the patent aforesaid. The lower feed rollsproject through the wall of a fixed tubular guide 25 which stands inposition to successively register with each of a series of loading tubes25 which, in the present case, are six in number, and clamped within andcarried by the arms of a star wheel carrier 21 corresponding to therotating head 36 of the patent, which star wheel is carried by androtatable with a vertical shaft 28 corresponding to the shaft 31 of thepatent.

The upper ends of the loading tubes 26 stand at an elevation whichaffords relatively close clearance for the intrusion of the razor sharpedge of a rapidly rotating cutter blade 29, the major portion of whichis located within a housing 30, cut away on its inner side to expose thecutter blade and permit it to swing into the clearance space between thefixed guide tube 25 and a charging tube 26. The cutter blade is fixedupon a vertical shaft 3| which is journaled through the housing andcarries a grooved pulley 32 at its by a pulley 34 on the shaft of amotor 35 supported from a bracket arm 36, or in any other suitablemanner. The housing 30 is provided with an outwardly extending arm 31which is mounted upon a fixedly positioned pivot 38, and the outer endof the arm 31 carries a roller 39 which is engaged by a cam 40 on a camshaft 4| in reduced train with the motor, so that at recurrent intervalsthe high point on the cam will swing the cutting edge of the knife bladeinto the space through which the cotton strand is being fed for thepurpose of severing a charge of cotton of the required length toconstitute a charge. The pivotal mounting 38 is in concentric relationwith the motor shaft so that the inswinging of the cutter will notdisturb the belt driving relationship of the parts, the knife beingdriven at a very high rate of speed and maintained in razor-edgedcondition to cleanly cut through the cotton strand. The above describedfeatures are substantially identical with those described in the patentaforesaid, so that further description is deemed unnecessary.

The cross cutting blade coacts with a slitting rotary blade 42 whichconstitutes one'of the principal features of the present invention. Theslitting blade is mounted upon the inner end of a horizontal shaft 43journaled through a swivelly mounted swinging bracket arm 44, which isintrain with a vertical driving shaft 45 journaled through the bracket arm36, and carrying a grooved pulley 46 at its lower end. The groovedpulley mounts a belt 41 which passes around a driving pulley 48 also onthe motor-shaft so that the operation of the motor will simultaneouslyimpart'a high speed of rotation both to the cross cutter blade and theslitting blade.

The housing 39, as-shown, is provided with a depending stud 49 whichregisters with a cam lower end. The pulley mounts a belt 33 driven 4track 50 so configured that as the housing swings inwardly to advancethe cross cutting blade toward the cotton strand, the slitting bladewill first be swung inwardly sufficiently to cause its cutting edge topass through a vertical slot 5| in the proximate wall of the chargingtube currently in register therewith, as best illustrated in Figs. 4, 5and 6, thereby preliminarily slitting the leading portion of a cottoncharge before the same is out free from the cotton strand. The chargingtubes of a single set are all of the same formation and of a size tocoact with the bottles to be wadded, and it will be understood that setsof charging tubes of varying dimensions may be substituted for oneanother to fit bottles of different sizes as occasion may require.

In the form shown each charging tube is throated at its upper end 52 andthe slot 5| is of sufficient Width to provide the clearance necessary topermit the slitting blade to swing inwardly to a sufficient extent toslit through the advancing end of the cotton charge in order to dividethe lower portion thereof into separated legs or sections without,however, slitting through the upper end of the charge which preferablyremains intact.

In order to permit the employment of a relatively small slitting bladeand to provide for its inswinging to the desired extent, the slot 5| isrecessed laterally at the points 53 which permits the slitter shaft 43to swing inwardly to the extent indicated in Fig. 4, and in order tomore thoroughly compress the cotton toward the cutting edge, an inwardlyprojecting boss or hump 54 is provided in the opposite Wall of the tubewhich is provided with a vertical slot 55 through its crest whichpermits the edge of the blade to enter slightly, and thereby insure aclean and complete cut through the cotton wad. It is necessary to timethe inward swing of the slitting blade so that it will advance tocutting position while the cotton strand is being fed forwardly underthe thrust of the feed rolls and before the cessation of this feedingmovement occurs in preparation for the severing of a charge by the crosscutting blade, and the cam track 59 is con figured to time thesemovements accordingly. Thus in Fig. 4 I have shown the slitter bladethrust inwardly to attack the leading end of the cotton strand Whilestill under the feeding action of the rolls 23 and 24. In Fig. 5 I haveillustrated the recession of the slitter blade in preparation for theadvance of the edge of the cross cutter blade 29, which is shown in saidfigure, and it will there be noted that the upperend of the wad remainsintact and in condition for its final insertion into the bottle afterthe loaded charging tube has been moved away from the slitting positionand brought into register with the mouth of the bottle. 7

In order to hold the divided sections of the cotton wad in separatedrelation both before and during the bottle wadding operation, I haveprovided a separator blade 56 of thin metal, and preferably of segmentalshape, which is pivoted at its tapered upper end upon a pintle 5'!surrounded by a light spring 58 which normally maintains the separatorblade in the inthrust position shown in Fig. 4, and wherein it traversesoppositely disposed slots 59 and 60 in the walls ofthe tube. The inneracting edge SI of the separator blade is concavely rounded and duringthe advance of the botton strand, and the slitting thereof, theseparator blade will occupy the inthrust position with its acting edgein line with *the edge of the blade, sothat as the charge is permit theuncut portion of the cotton charge toslip'by. a

The lower end 63 of the tube is preferably tapered somewhat whichimposes a light friction against the outer faces of the separated cottonsections as the wad is being driven through the contracted end of thetube, and the friction thus developed tends slightly to retard thepassage of the contracted outer face portions of the sections and tocause'the same to curl or spread outwardly toward the shoulders of thebottle which is properly'positioned to thus permit the separated andoutwardly distended ends of the wad to be forced back under theshoulders. The flaring or distention of the separated ends of the wadthus occasioned is due to the fact that the Wad, instead of beingintegral throughout is divided and thus capable of separating under thecombined action of the separator blade and the curling back occasionedby the frictional contact of the cotton with the restricted dischargeopening from the tube. It isthus unnecessary'to provide me chanicalspreader means which enter the mouth of the bottle and operate fromwithin to spread the cotton during its insertion into the bottle. Theemployment of such a means introduces an unnecessary complication in theaction of the machine, and its use is restricted to bottles having aneoksuilicientl short and broad to permit the .mechanicalspreaders toenter thereinto.

Inthe case of the present invention the force employed for injecting thewad into the bottle is afforded entirely by the longitudinal thrust ofthe plunger operating under the conditions heretofore described.Although for most purposes it is desirable .to limit the slitting of thecotton wad t the lower portion, and to maintain the upper end intact,itis not essential in all cases that this condition be maintained sincethe present method of introducing a divided wad'from a tube into thecharacter here described, will tend to separate and flare outwardlyunder the thrust of a plunger and to back into the space below theshoulders of a bottle, so that in its broader aspects the invention isnot confined to the useof special mechanism hereinbefore described forslitting and separating the waddin charges. a

In the machine in the form shown, I have mounted charging tubes on thearms of the star wheel carrier 2'; which is fast upon the shaft 28,which also mounts the carrier disk if) for the bottles. These partsoperate in unison so that as a bottle is introducedinto one of thenotches iii in the carrier disk, it will come into register with one ofthe char ing tubes and will be intermittently advanced therewith, firstto a position immediately below the plunger 62 which drives the cottonwad into the bottle, and thereafter in position to receive the thrust ofa supplementary plunger 64 which'it is desirable to employ in order toprevent the lodgment of any stray whisps of cotton around the mouth ofthe bottle which might later interfere with the bottle capping operationand to more effectively seat the wad down on the contents of the bottle.Both plungers operate in unisonand are connected to a'slidably mountedhead platetfi operated by a link 66 and a leverE'i, which in turn isoscillated by a thrust bar 68 corresponding to the parts 88 and 81 ofthe patent aforesaid. 'The means for timing'the reciprocation of the*plungersare in all respects similar to those described in the patent,so that detailed description ishere deemed unnecessary.

In view of the fact that the carrier disk in the form shown is providedwith six notches for receiving bottles, and of thefurther fact that sixcharging tubes are carried by the machine, each of which mustmomentarilystop to receive and sever a charge from the cotton strandwhile preceding tubes stand in'registerwiththe plungers during aninterval of rest, provision is made for the rotation of the shaft 28which mounts these to the 'starwheel by a roller I3 carriedby a plate Mkeyed on a constantly power driven shaft 15.

The spur gear 12 meshes with a larger spur gear T6 on th shaft 28, theratio being such that one rotation of the driving spur gear 12 willimpart two-thirds of a rotation to the driven spur gear 76. The ratiothus provided insures that during a complete rotation of thecarrier'disk it will be stopped six times, so that three of the tubeswill simultaneously stand in coacting relation with the charging anddischarging mechanisms shown. That is to say, the most advanced tube'ofthe group of three will be in position to receive the thrust of thesupplemental plunger '64, while the second tube is receiving thedischarging thrust of the plunger 62, and the first tube of the group isreceiving a charge from the continuous strand.

It will be understood, however, that all of these mechanical details maybe changed or modified without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and that insofar as the bottle feeding features are concernedit is necessary only that the bottles stand in register with the tubesduring the plunger operations since the tube charging operation'need.not be performed with a bottle in register.

- Operation 7 The operation may be briefly described as follows: Acontinuousstrand of cotton or equivalent wadding material is drawnforward from th receptacle I9 by the pull of power driven feed'rollers:23 and 24, which serve to advance the leading end of the strand andthrust the same into the mouth of a tube which, during this interval,will stand stationary and in regster with the feed rollers. After thedesired length of wadding has been fed into the tube, the swiftlyrotating cutter blade 29 will swing inwardly under the action of the cam40.. However, before the cross cutting blade severs the strand theinswing of the casing 30 will advance the slitter blade 42, the rapidlyrotating edge of which will b projected inwardly through the slot in thetube to slit the still advancing end of the strand before the crosscutting blade severs the charge therefrom. This sequence of operationsis well illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 from which it will be observed thatthe slitter blade has assumed its cutting position while the feedrollers 23 and 24 are still rotating, as indicated by the arrows. Fig. 5indicates the position assumed by the parts at the instant the crosscutter blade reaches its severing position from which it will be noted,by the absence of arrows, that the rotation of the rollers has stoppedand that the slitter blade has retreated to, its outermost position.Fig. 5 illustrates the position of the parts at the conclusion of thecharging operation, and immediately thereafter the Geneva movement willimpart rotation to the star wheel tube carrier 21 and the bottle feedingcarrier disk I5 to advance the loaded tube with the bottle in registerto a position immediately below the first plunger 62. Immediatelythereafter the plunger will descend, as in Fig. 6, which forces down thecharge toward and into the bottle. The separator blade 56 during theslitting and cross cutting operations, illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5,will occupy the inthrust position under the light tension of the spring58, but during the descent of the plunger 62 the separator blade willyield to :permit the passage of the uncut upper end of the charge as thelower divided end is being forced into the bottle.

The reduced discharge end 63 of the tube will increase the frictionagainst the outer faces of the divided wadding, and this will have theeffect of retarding the advance of the outer faces as compared with theinterior of the charge which causes the legs or divisions of the same todiverge under the thrust of the plunger. and this tendency to divergewill be augmented by the diversion of the separator blade, so that asthe slit end of the wadding charge is projected into the bottle theseparated ends, coming into contact with the contents of the bottle,will flow under the shoulders and fill the space in the upper part ofthe bottle.

I am aware of the fact that even without the separator blade, thefrictional retarding of the r outer faces of the slit wadding. whensubjected to a thrust from behind, will tend to spread the legs ordivisions of the wadding charge to a substantial degree which may besatisfactory in certain cases, although where a bottle is heavilyshouldered it is desirable to provide some kind of a separator whichwill serve to prevent the inner faces of the slit wadding sections fromcontact- .ing one another during a considerable portion of thedischarging period, and I therefore consider the separator to be adesirable, although not indispensable, feature of the present invention.Furthermore, the presence of such a separator which is interposedbetween the divided sections of the wadding causes the inner surfaces toslip smoothly along the faces of the separator, so that the innersurfaces will be somewhat compacted by this action which reduces thetendency to intermesh after the leading end of the charge has enteredthe mouth of the bottle and escaped from further contact with theseparator.

I am also aware that it may not be necessary in all cases to contractthe discharge end of the charging tube since a tube of uniform diameter,receiving a charge of proper thickness, will 8 necessarily exert acertain amount of friction on the external surfaces with a resultanttendency to curl back or deflect, though for most purposes I have foundthat a terminal restriction with augmented friction at the point ofdischarge is most effective in imparting a deflecting or spreadingaction to the divided charge. It will be understood, however, that theincrease in friction may be obtained by slightly roughening the innersurface of the tube rather than by contracting its diameter, and thatdevelopment of such a frictional effect rather than the employment ofspecific means for attaining it is regarded as the feature ofimportance, insofar as concerns the method here involved.

I am also aware of the fact that although it is desirable in most casesto restrict the slitting of the charge and to leave the rear or headintact which facilitates easy removal ofthe charge from the bottle,nevertheless I have in mind the fact that the charge may, if desired, beslit and divided from end to end without substantial modification in theresultant action involved in introducing the charge into a bottle.Substantially the same result will attend the introduction of chargeswhich are derived from separate strands individually fed to a point ofconvergence and introduced into the charging tube as a single charge andthereafter ejected in the manner heretofore described.

It will thereforebe understood that numerous modifications in detail maybe introduced and that the essence of the present invention consists inthe employment of a charge which is divided or slitted at its forwardend and ejected from behind while under the confinement of thesurrounding tube and under conditions which will tend to cause the legsor divisions of the charge to separate and spread under the shoulders ofa bottle or similar receptacle which renders unnecessary the use ofspecial mechanism designed to be inthrust into the mouth of the bottlefor the purpose of positively spreading the wadding. By the employmentof a slit wadding subjected to an endwise thrust from the rear under theconditions here described, the use of such spreading devices, withattendant complications is avoided, the wadding operation is renderedmore uniform and satisfactory, and limitations due to the shapin of thebottle mouth are avoided, since the present method is one which may besuccessfully employed in the introduction of wadding charges into bottlenecks of varying length and in connection with bottles of varying shapeand dimensions, and by the term shouldered bottle I intend to cover anyform of container which is flared or enlarged below the neck orequivalent opening.

I claim:

l. The method of wadding shouldered bottles which consists in externallyconfining a wadding charge longitudinally divided at its entering endand in maintaining such confined charge in registerwith the mouth of ashouldered bottle, imparting to the charge thus confined a longitudirialimpulsion to advance the charge divided end foremost into and throughthe mouth of the bottle and meanwhile subjecting the outer faces of thedivided charge to external friction sufficient to retard the advance ofsaid faces relatively to the interior of the charge thus causing thedivided leading ends of the charge to spread apart and underflow theshoulders of the bottle.

2. The method of .Wadding shouldered bottles which consists inexternally confining a wadding charge longitudinally divided at itsentering end and in maintaining such confined charge in register withthe mouth of a shouldered bottle, impartin to the charge thus confined alongitudinal thrust from the rear to advance the charge into through themouth of the bottle, holding the divided sections of the charge innoncontacting relation during at least a portion of the period duringwhich the charge is e'xterially confined and being advanced divided endforernost into the bottle, and meanwhile subjecting the outer faces ofthe divided charge to external 1 friction suficient to retard theadvance of said faces relatively to the interior of the charge thuscausing the divided leading ends of the charge to spread apart andunderfiow the shoulders of the bottle.

3. The method of wadding shouldered bottles which consists in externallyconfining a wadding charge longitudinally divided at its entering endand in maintaining such confined charge in register with the mouth of ashouldered bottle, imparting to the charge thus confined a longitudinalthrust from the rear to advance the charge divided end foremost into andthrough the mouth of the bottle and meanwhile subjecting the outer facesof the divided charge to increased confine merit and correspondinglyincreased external friction sufficient to retard the advance of saidfaces relatively to the interior of the charge thus causing the dividedleading ends of the charge to spread apart and underfiow the shouldersof the bottle.

4. The method of wadding shouldered bottles which consists in externallyconfining a wadding charge longitudinally divided at its entering endand in maintaining such confined charge in register With the mouth of ashouldered bottle, in parting to the charge thus confined a longitudinalthrust from the rear to advance the charge divided end foremost into andthrough the mouth of the bottle, holding the divided sections of thecharge in non-contacting relation during at least a portion of theperiod during which the charge is externally confined and being advancedinto the bottle and meanwhile subjecting the outer faces of the dividedcharge to increased confinement and correspondingly increased externalfriction sufficient to retard the advance of said faces relatively tothe interior of the charge thus causing the divided leading ends of thecharge to spread apart and underflow the shoulders of the bottle.

5. The method of wadding shouldered bottles which consists in advancingthe leading end of a continuous strand of wadding while subjected toexternal confinement, longitudinally slitting the advancing end of thestrand while thus confined and severing the end thus slitted toconstitute a charge and thereafter subjecting the slitted charge to athrust from the rear and to external friction to spread apart theslitted charge and cause the same to underflow the shoulders of a bottleas the charge is thrust into the same.

6. The method of wadding shouldered bottles which consists in advancingthe leading end of a continuous strand of wadding While subjected toexternal confinement, longitudinally slitting the advancing end of thestrand while thus confined and severing the end thus slitted toconstitute a charge, and thereafter subjecting the slitted charge whilestill externally confined to a thrust from the rear to advance the sameinto a bottle and in holding the divided ends of the charge innon-contacting, separated relation durat least aportioriofsuch period ofadvancemerit, aridirl subjecting the outer faces of the divided. chargeto external friction sufficient to retard theadvance of said facesrelatively to the interior of the charge thus causing the dividedleading ends to spread apart and underflow the shoulders of the bottle.7

7. In a wadding machine for shouldered botties, the combination of acharging tube, means for introducing a length of wadding material intothe tube, means for longitudinally slitting the leading end of saidlength of material to constitute a divided charge, a holder for bottlesadapted to position a bottle in aligned relation with the charging tube,and plunger means adapted to impart a thrust upon the charge while, sopositioned to force the charge with its divided end foremost out of thecharging tube and into, the bottle, the tube being so configured as tosubject the exterior faces of the divided charge to sufficient frictionto retard the advance of said faces relatively to' the interior of the,charge and thereby cause the divided ends to spread and underflovv theshoulders of the bottle, and driving means and connections for actuatingthe operating: parts in timed relationship.

8. In a wadding machine for shouldered bottles, the combination of acharging tube, means forintroducing a lengthcf wadding material into thetube, means for longitudinally slitting the leading end of said lengthof material to constitute a divided chargasaid slitting means beingpositionedto cut through .the end of the material While advancing withinthe tube, a holder for bottles adapted to position a bottle in alignedrelation with the charging tube, and. plunger means adapted to impart athrust upon the charge while so positioned to force the charge with itsdivided end foremost out of the charging tube and into the bottle, thetube being so constructed as to subject the exterior faces of thedivided charge to sufficient friction to retard the advance of saidfaces relatively to the interior of the charge and thereby cause thedivided ends to spread and underflow the shoulders of the bottle; anddriving means and connections for actuating the operating parts in timedrelationship.

9. In a wadding machinefor shouldered bottles, the combination of acharging tube, means for introducing a length of wadding material intothe tube, means for longitudinally slitting the leading end of saidlength of material to constitute a divided charge, a holder for bottlesadapted to position a bottle in aligned relation with the charging tube,and plunger means adapted to impart a thrust upon the charge While sopositioned to force the charge with its divided end foremost out of thecharging tube and into the bottle, the tube being so constructed as tosubject the exterior faces of the divided charge to suificient frictionto retard the advance of said faces relatively to the interior of thecharge and thereby cause the divided ends to spread and underfiow theshoulders of the bottle, driving means and: connections for actuatingthe operatingparts; in timed relationship, and separator means adaptedto hold apart the divided ends of the'charge during at least a portionof the period during which the charge is being thrust into the bottle. i

10. In a wadding machine for-shouldered bottles, the combination of acharging tube, means for introducing a length of wadding material intoenga e the tube, means for longitudinally slitting the leading end ofsaid length of material to constitute adivided charge, said slittingmeans being positioned to out through the end of the material whileadvancing'within the tube, a holder for bottles adapted to position abottle in aligned relation with the charging tube, and plunger meansadapted to impart a thrust upon the charge while so positioned to forcethe charge with its divided end foremost out of the charging tube andinto the bottle, the tube being so constructed as to subjectthe'exterior faces of the divided charge to sufficient friction toretard the advance of said faces relatively to the interior of thecharge and thereby cause the divided ends to spread and underflow theshoulders of the bottle, driving means and connections for actuating theoperatingparts in timed relationship, and separator means adapted tohold apart the divided ends of the charge during at least a portion ofthe period during which the charge is being thrust intothe bottle.

, 11. In a wadding machine for shouldered bottles, the combination of acharging tube, means for introducing a length of wadding material infothe tube, means for longitudinally slitting the leading end of saidlength of material to constitute a divided charge, a holder for bottlesadapt,- ed to position a bottle in aligned relation with the chargingtube, and plunger means adapted to impart a thrust upon the charge whileso positioned to force the charge with its divided end foremost out ofthe charging tube and into the bottle, the tube being so constructed asto subject the exterior faces of the divided charge to sufficientfriction to retard the advance of said faces relatively to the interiorof the charge and thereby cause the divided ends to spread and underfiowthe shoulders of the bottle, driving means and connections for actuatingthe operating parts in timed relationship, and a separator bladeextending lengthwise within the charging tube and presenting its actingedge in register with the slit in the leading end of the charge andmounted to yield under pressure of the advancing charge and adapted tohold apart the divided ends of the charge during at least a portion ofthe period during which the charge is being thrust into the bottle.

12. In a wadding machine for shouldered botties, the combination of acharging tube, means for introducing a length of wadding material intothe tube, means for longitudinally slitting the leading end of saidlength of material to constitute a divided charge, said slitting meansbeing positioned to cut through the end of the material while advancingwithin the tube, a holder for bottles adapted to position a bottle inaligned relation with the charging tube, and plunger means adapted toimpart a thrust upon the charge while so positioned to force the chargewith its divided end foremost out of the charging tube and into thebottle, the tube being so constructed as to subject the exterior facesof the divided charge to suiiicient friction to retard the advance ofsaid faces relatively to the interior of the char e, and thereby causethe divided ends to spread and underfiow the shoulders of the bottle,driving means and connections for actuating the operating parts in timedrelationship, and a separator blade extending lengthwise within thecharging tube and presenting its acting edge in register with the slitin the leading end of'the charge and mountedto yield under pressure ofthe advancing charge and adapted to hold apart the divided ends of thecharge dur ing at least a portion of the period during which the chargeis being thrust into the bottle.

13. In a wadding machine for shouldered bottles, the combination of acharging tube, means for feeding forward a continuous strand of waddingmaterial and projecting its leading end into the charging tube, aslitting wheel and means for recurrently advancing its cutting edge intothe interior of the tube to longitudinally slit the leading end of thewadding strand, a cross cutter and means for recurrently advancing itscutting edge across the strand to severa charge therefrom while confinedwithin the tube, a holder for shouldered bottles, plunger means adaptedby a thrust from the rear to eject a charge from the tube, actuatingmeans for first attaining registry of the tube with the strand feedingmeans and with the slitting wheel and cross cutter and thereafter withthe plunger meanswhile the tube is in registry with the mouth of ashouldered bottle, the tube being so constructed as to subject theexterior faces of the divided charge to suificient friction to retardthe advance of said faces relatively to the interior of the charge andthereby cause the divided ends to spread and underflow the shoulders ofthe bottle, and driving means and connections for actuating theoperating parts in timed relationship.

14. In a wadding machine for shouldered bottles, the combination of acharging tube, means for feeding forward a continuous strand of waddingmaterial and projecting its leading end into the charging tube, aslitting wheel and means for recurrently advancing its cutting edge intothe interior of the tube to longitudinally slit the leading end of thewadding strand, a cross cutter and means for recurrently advancing itscutting edge across the strand to sever a charge therefrom whileconfined within the tube, a holder for shouldered bottles, plunger meansadapted by a thrust from the rear to eject a charge from the tube,actuating means for first attaining registry of the tube with the strandfeeding means and with the slitting wheel and cross cutter andthereafter with the plunger means while the tube is in registry with themouth of a shouldered bot-- tle, the tube being so constructed as tosubject the exterior faces of the divided charge to sufficient frictionto retard the advance of said faces relatively to the interior of thecharge and thereby cause the divided ends to spread and underflow theshoulders of the bottle, driving means and connections for actuating theoperating parts in timed relationship, and a separator blade extendinglengthwise within the charging tube and presenting its acting edge inregister with the slit in the leading end of the charge and mounted toyield under pressure of the advancing charge and adapted to hold apartthe divided ends of the charge during at least a portion of the periodduring which the charge is being thrust into the bottle. a

15. In a wadding machine for shouldered bot ties, the combination of acharging tube, means for feeding forward a continuous strand of waddingmaterial and projecting its leading end into the charging tube, aslitting wheel and means for recurrently advancing its cutting edge intothe interior of the tube to longitudinally slit the leading end of thewadding strand, the tube being restricted on its interior at a pointopposing the slitting wheel to compress the strand against its advancingedge, a cross cutter and means for recurrently advancing its cuttingedge across the strand to sever a charge therefroni while confinedwithin the tube, a holder for shouldered bottles, plunger means adaptedby a thrust from .the rear to eject a charge from the tube, actuatingmeans for first attaining registry of the tube with the strand feedingmeans and with the slitting wheel and cross cutter and thereafter withthe plunger means while the tube is in registry with the mouth of ashouldered bottle, the tube being so constructed as to subject theexterior faces of the divided charge to sufficient friction to retardthe advance of said faces relatively to the interior of the charge andthereby cause the divided ends to spread and underflow the shoulders ofthe bottle, and driving means and connections for actuating theoperating parts in timed relationship.

16. In a wadding machine for shouldered bot tles, the combination of acharging tube, means for feeding forward a continuous strand of waddingmaterial and projecting its leading end into the charging tube, aslitting wheel and means for recurrently advancing its cutting edge intothe interior of the tube to longitudinally slit the leading end of thewadding, the tube being restricted on its interior at a point opposingthe slitting wheel to compress the strand against its advancing edge, across cutter and means for recurrently advancing its cutting edge acrossthe strand to sever a charge therefrom while confined within the tube, aholder for shouldered bottles, plunger means adapted by a thrust fromthe rear to eject a charge from the tube, actuating means for firstattaining registry of the tube with the strand feeding means and withthe slitting wheel and cross cutter and thereafter with the plungermeans while the tube is in registry with the mouth of a shoulderedbottle, the tube being i so constructed as to subject the exterior facesof the divided charge to suflicient friction to retard the advance ofsaid faces relatively to the interior of the charge and thereby causethe divided ends to spread and underflow the shoulders of the bottle,driving means and connections for actuating the operating parts in timedrelationship, and a separator blade extending lengthwise within thecharging tube and presenting its acting edge in register with the slitin the leading end of the charge and mounted to yield under pressure ofthe advancing charge and adapted to hold apart the divided ends of thecharge during at least a portion of the period during which the chargeis being thrust into the bottle.

17. In a wadding machine for shouldered bottles, the combination of acharging tube, plunger means adapted by a thrust from the rear toadvance a wadding charge through the tube and to thrust the same into ashouldered bottle in registry with the tube, means located in the pathof the wadding charge for longitudinally slitting the advancing end ofthe same, said tube being so constructed as to subject the exteriorfaces of the divided charge to sufficient friction to retard the advanceof said faces relative to the interior of the charge and thereby causethe divided ends of the charge to spread and underflow the shoulders ofthe .bottle and separator means extending inwardly from the tube Wall inposition to hold apart the divided ends of the charge during at least aportion of the period during which the charge is being thrust into thebottle.

THOMAS C. KELLY.

